


My Hero

by TuppingLiberty



Series: Tlib FFC 2020 - original works [1]
Category: Original Work
Genre: Cowboys, February Ficlet Challenge, February Ficlet Challenge 2020, M/M, Meet-Cute, Professors
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-02
Updated: 2020-02-09
Packaged: 2021-02-28 06:41:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,474
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22519411
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TuppingLiberty/pseuds/TuppingLiberty
Summary: Classic professor Teddy's already having an oh-so-wonderful day when his car breaks down on the side of the road. Luckily there's a handsome cowboy to bring him some supplies and keep him company until the tow truck comes.February Ficlet Challenge: Pick a pairing a day, write a 200+ word ficlet on the given prompt. I've decided to do all original characters this year, so we'll see how long I last.Day 1 prompts: Regency AU or Classical referencesFFC day 7: today's characters ship another couple on your list.
Relationships: OMC/OMC, Teddy/Joseph
Series: Tlib FFC 2020 - original works [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1620334
Comments: 21
Kudos: 34
Collections: February Ficlet Challenge 2020





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Featuring a blink and you miss it Regency reference. :D

Groaning, Teddy thunks his forehead against his steering wheel. There’s steam or smoke or something coming out from under the hood of his ancient Toyota Corolla, and the temperature gauge is all the way up in the red danger zone. Luckily he’d been able to pull off the freeway safely, but it’s one of those random country exits with nothing within walking distance. 

“Oh thank the gods,” he mutters when he sees he has cell service. The process of calling AAA for a tow truck is annoying but simple, up until they tell him the nearest tow truck is a couple of hours away. 

No use complaining. It’s not like he can will traffic out of existence or anything. Sighing, he climbs back in the car now that the smoke has subsided, rolls down the windows so he doesn’t suffocate in the mid-summer heat, and tries not to check the time on his phone every thirty seconds. 

A couple of trucks pass him, slowing to peer at him. He gives each truck a little wave before letting his head fall back to the head rest once more. When he empties his water, he starts to worry. 

_I’m going to die of heat exhaustion on the side of the road, waiting for a tow truck._

_Fucking typical, Theodore._

He’d been having such an oh-so-wonderful day anyway. He’d just gotten the news that his latest article had been rejected by the journals he’d applied to. Publish or perish, and he’s certainly perishing. There’s an email from his department head that he’s not particularly looking forward to reading. Without tenure, despite excellent student evaluations, he’s in a precarious position as the youngest professor in the Classics department. 

The sound of a motor has him sitting up straight in his seat to check the rearview, but it’s just another farming truck, and he deflates. What he’s not expecting is for the truck to pull up in front of his car and for a tall drink of water dressed for outdoor work to step down. The guy turns around to grab something from his truck, giving Teddy a very nice view of a very fine ass, hugged by heavy denim work pants streaked with dust and mud. When the guy pulls back, he’s carrying a big bottle of water, ice-cold from the look of it, with water droplets condensing on the side. Teddy practically pants, and opens his door to meet the man. 

“Saw you when I drove to town ‘bout an hour ago. Didn’t figure you’d still be here, but I picked up something for you anyway just in case.” The stranger’s grin lights up his face as he thrusts the water at Teddy. He’s gorgeous, Teddy thinks, like an Apollo among men. Teddy feels inadequate, at nearly half a head shorter, in his wrinkled dress clothes because he’d left campus right after his morning summer seminar. 

“Thank you so much,” Teddy can’t help but gush, pressing the bottle to his hot cheeks before opening the bottle and taking a careful sip. 

“Wasn’t sure what kind of snacks, but I figured nothing salty, given the weather. Hope you’re not allergic to nuts?” Again, the man holds out something, and Teddy recognizes the bright yellow packaging of peanut M&Ms. “What seems to be the trouble?” 

Teddy squints up at the sun as he accepts the candy. He can already feel his skin burning. “My car started smoking, so I pulled off. Honestly, I have no idea.” 

The man frowns, looking at the car, then Teddy’s face. “Wait right here one sec, ‘kay?” 

“Like I’m going anywhere,” Teddy mutters when he thinks the man is far enough away. 

“Heard that,” the man calls back, still rooting around for something in the cab of his truck. “Lucky for you I like smart asses.” 

Teddy flushes, or maybe it’s the fucking heat of the day. Still, he decides to take in the view while he can - the man has a damn fine ass. 

“Aha! I knew I had one somewhere.” The stranger pulls back, holding something up triumphantly. He shakes it out, presses a button, and Teddy watches it pop open, only belatedly realizing it’s an umbrella. “Look at that, it even works. Here.”

He walks back over, holding the umbrella over Teddy’s head, giving him shade and immediately allowing the burning sensation on his cheeks to start fading. “You- I. Thank you, that’s very nice of you.” 

An awkward silence falls between them as the cowboy leans up against the hot frame of Teddy’s car and looks down at him. “Just being a good Samaritan. Do you need to borrow my cell phone?” 

“No, I called AAA. I guess there’s traffic in the city, or something. An accident, so the tow truck is delayed.” Teddy tears open the candy and pours a few pieces out in his palm. “Want to share?” 

The man grins again as he takes a blue piece and pops it in his mouth. “Thanks. I’m Joseph, by the way.” 

“Teddy.” He thrusts the other M&Ms in his mouth and goes to shake Joseph’s hand, but the condensation from the water bottle and the heat means his hand is now covered in a rainbow of sugar and dye. “Oh, jeez, sorry-” 

“I’ve had worse.” Joseph takes his hand anyway, shaking it firmly. 

His gaze lingers on Teddy’s body, and Teddy reflexively looks down, then feels his face immediately flame up again. He’d forgotten about the little rainbow flag pin he always has pinned somewhere on him - right now on the collar of his once-crisp white button up. Suddenly nervous at the guy’s - Joseph’s silence, Teddy takes a step back, hitting the side of his car. “Um-” 

Joseph holds up his free hand - now also covered in candy stains - in a placating movement. “It’s not a problem. I mean you won’t hear anything from me. I’m, uh. I am too, if you are. God, I’m so fucking awkward. I don’t often meet guys around here and now I can’t stop talking-” 

“It’s okay! Joseph, it’s okay. It’s fine. No, I’m gay too, not just an ally. I just wasn’t expecting a, uh, positive reaction.” 

Joseph seems to relax, leaning against the car again, faithfully holding the umbrella over Teddy’s head like Teddy’s some sophisticated lady in a Jane Austen novel or something. “‘Round here, people don’t care too much, but they do like to crack Brokeback Mountain jokes.” 

Teddy hums, sympathetic, and lets the moment sit in silence for a minute. “Heath Ledger, though…” 

He decides then and there that he could get addicted to Joseph’s laugh, which is a ridiculous thing to think, but he can’t help it. He relaxes as Joseph throws his head back to guffaw. “Well, you have a point, Teddy, you do.” 

Teddy holds out another handful of M&Ms for him, no longer caring about the mess. They share them in a companionable silence that Teddy only breaks reluctantly. “You probably need to get to work or something.” He looks pointedly at the farm truck. 

“I’m free for the time being, but I can leave if you want me to,” Joseph replies with a shrug. 

“No! I mean, I’d like it if you stayed. It’s kind of lonely out here.” 

“Where are you from?” 

“I’m a professor at the state university. I was heading home to see my parents in Springfield.” At Joseph’s look of surprise, Teddy rolls his eyes. “Let me guess, you think I look young for a professor.” 

Joseph lets out a little bark of laughter, making endorphins rush through Teddy’s system. “No, I was thinking ‘if you’re the professor, everyone must be hot for teacher.’” 

“Oh.” Teddy’s cheeks flush and he hopes it’s not visible under the shade of the umbrella. “Thanks, I think.” 

“Sorry, I have a habit of putting my foot in my mouth.” Now Joseph looks embarrassed, his eyes sliding away from Teddy’s. 

“Let’s just say it’s not a compliment I’ve gotten before, so, you know, thank you.” 

Joseph’s small smile is sweet, making Teddy’s heart flip in his chest. “What do you teach?” 

“I’m in the Classics department. I mostly concentrate on Ancient Greece, with a focus on Homer.” 

“Like the Odyssey?” Joseph asks, perking up.

“Uh, yeah. Exactly like the Odyssey. You know it?” 

Joseph gives a little shrug. “Had to read it for some class or another.” The studied nonchalance drops away after a moment, though. “I really liked it, actually.” 

“Careful, or I’ll launch into an hour-long lecture.” He gives Joseph a wry smile. 

Joseph leans a little closer. “That’s not too much of a threat, you know. You’ve got a real nice voice.” He lets that comment sit for a beat. “Why Homer?” 

“Besides the fact that Achilles and Patroclus have to go down as history’s greatest love tragedy?” Teddy grins, relaxing into the topic. “I read it when I was like, twelve, and my little gay heart almost gave out.” 

“Sure. ‘Sides that one,” Joseph answers, his smile broad. 

“I think I like stories about mortals tempting fate, being put in their place, and then overcoming the obstacles the gods throw at them anyway.” 

“That is nice.” Joseph’s voice is soft, thoughtful. “Little bit like...even when you do something really stupid, there’s still hope.” 

“Exactly. And hopefully your dumb decision doesn’t keep you away from home for twenty years.” 

“Amen.” Joseph’s eyes slide down to Teddy’s lips, and Teddy surprises himself by leaning closer, meeting him halfway. 

It may be a monumentally dumb decision, but Teddy kisses Joseph anyway. Joseph overwhelms his senses, smelling of hay and leather and _man._ Teddy lets out a soft sound and clutches at Joseph’s shirt, angling to take the kiss deeper. One of Joseph’s hands presses at the small of his back, drawing their bodies closer together. It’s the best damn first kiss Teddy’s ever experienced. 

They break apart, panting, when they hear the sound of another engine. Teddy looks over to the freeway exit and sees a tow truck slowly making its way up the ramp. He steps out of Joseph’s arms reluctantly, trying to straighten his clothing. 

“There’s only one repair shop in town, Maggie’s Place. There’s a hotel just down the street from that, if you have to spend the night,” Joseph says, pulling away too and sounding businesslike. 

“Thanks, for everything.” Teddy reaches his hand out to shake Joseph’s again, even as the tow truck pulls up behind his car. Still, he keeps his hand clasped in Joseph’s for a moment longer. “Is there a good place to eat in town?” 

“Everything’s pretty much on the same street, it’s hard to miss. There’s a diner that’s pretty decent.” 

“Let me repay you with dinner?” Teddy smiles at Joseph’s dumbfounded face. “It’s the least I can do. Sadly, I can’t offer to pick you up at your place.” 

Joseph finally seems to recover. “I’d like that. Maybe you can give me that lecture you promised.” He pulls his cellphone out of his pocket and hands it to Teddy. “Text yourself so you have my number.” 

“Are you Theodore Clark?” The tow driver calls out from his truck. 

“Yeah, that’s me. Let me get you my AAA card, one sec.” Teddy sends himself a message quickly, then presses the phone back into Joseph’s hand and goes up on tiptoes to brush a kiss over his cheek. “Thanks again. You’re my own personal hero, minus the tragic backstory or demigod status.” 

Joseph’s smile is wide. “Well now, Teddy, you don’t know that ‘bout me, yet.” With a tip of his hat, he pulls away to let Teddy deal with his car.


	2. Shipping It

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Teddy makes a discovery in Joseph's house. 
> 
> FFC day 7: today's characters ship another couple on your list.

What’s great about spending summer vacation on the ranch with Joseph is the quiet. Teddy’s been able to get a significant amount of work done on his book. The bad part about spending summer vacation is also the quiet. Because when Teddy’s brain hits a roadblock, there’s nothing to distract him. At least, not while Joseph’s out in the fields, like he currently is. 

He’s banned himself from his phone, because otherwise he’d dive deep into the black hole of the internet and lose the rest of the day, so when he’s been staring at the blinking cursor on his screen for a good ten minutes with nothing coming to him, he pushes away from his desk and starts exploring the small farm house. 

Joseph’s given him free rein, or at least, he hadn’t told Teddy any place that’s off limits. So he doesn’t feel guilty, thumbing through the bookshelf in the study, snooping through Joseph’s family’s stuff. He’d been sort of amazed at the room, with its large South-facing windows providing sunlight all day and the large, sturdy oak desk that centers the room. It’s bigger than the master bedroom where he and Joseph have been sleeping, even. When Joseph had shown Teddy where he could work, he’d mentioned something about a relative - ancestor, maybe - that had been a doctor. 

A strange variety of books adorn the bookshelves that are built into one of the long walls. Classics mixed with bodice rippers, a few law books among likely outdated farming treatises. Joseph’s family has apparently had varied and wide tastes. Near the top there’s a row of books on ancient Greek culture that Teddy knows, after Joseph had confessed it to him on one of their Skype calls, he read just so he had something to talk about. Turns out, they hadn’t needed the fodder, but they’d had a good time anyway. Teddy often appreciates Joseph’s outside-of-academia-hell perspective. It reminds him of why he worked so hard to get here in the first place. 

A line of dark leather spines has Teddy kneeling to inspect the bottom shelf. He pulls the first one out, but there’s nothing on the outside that says what the books are, so he grabs his archival gloves from his things - like he’d travel anywhere without them - and carefully opens to the first page. 

_Medical Journal of Dr. Jared Kent, MD, 1870_ is inscribed across it in neat, slanting cursive letters. Teddy’s brow furrows. Kent certainly isn’t the last name of anyone Teddy’s met in Joseph’s family, but Joseph had mentioned that ancestral family doctor…

 _13 July, 1870_ _  
_ _Arrived in Denver. Train ride was long but manageable, even though it seemed every curve brought me further away from civilization. I believe the mayor I’ve contracted with is coming to pick me up tomorrow, if my letter posted with a good amount of time._

Fascinated, Teddy makes himself more comfortable on the floor, continuing to read the doctor’s journal. Dr. Kent tended to stick to medical descriptions, perhaps to keep his own record for diagnoses and patient histories, which are fascinating in themselves, but then every so often, something from his life here shines through. 

_18 July 1870_ _  
_ _Treated Mary Lou for a female complaint and met ‘Black Mac’ - the moniker seems fitting, given his mood. He----_

The rest of the sentence had been scratched out, and try though he might, Teddy can’t make it out. “Interesting…” he murmurs, turning the page. 

Joseph feels like he’s covered, head-to-toe, in grime. He knocks his boots against the side of the house, wanting nothing more than to slip into the ancient shower and wash the day away. Maybe he can rope Teddy into joining him, if his professor isn’t all wrapped up in antiquity. Joseph hasn’t yet successfully convinced Teddy to dress up for him in a tweed suit with leather elbow patches just so Joseph can ogle him, but he’s working on it.

He makes his way back to the study, expecting to find Teddy hunched over his laptop at the desk. Instead, it takes him a second to locate Teddy on the floor, sitting against the bookshelf, his white archival gloves on and a myriad of books around him. His glasses are sitting on the tip of his nose as he holds the book closely to read, and he just looks so damn adorable. 

“Hey, Teddy,” he says softly, not wanting to disturb his boyfriend. 

Teddy looks up, and Joseph has the impression that Teddy’s seeing something else, something far older. It’s hardly the first time Teddy’s been lost in thought. “Do you know who Dr. Jared Kent is?” 

“Doc?” Joseph groans for the aches in his body, but works himself down to the floor to lean against the desk across from Teddy anyway. “He was my great-great granduncle. I never met him, obviously, but grandpa tells stories about Doc and Mac.” 

“Black Mac?” 

“Yeah, my other great-great granduncle. My brother Oliver is named after him, actually, because when he was born, he had a full head of curly black hair and grandpa said it was meant to be.”

“Wait, so, Dr. Kent is related to you?” Excitement is coming off Teddy in waves, and Joseph can't help but smile. 

“Not by blood. Mac was my great-great grandfather’s brother. Did you find something interesting?” 

“Did you not know these were here?” Teddy sweeps a hand to indicate the pile of leather-bound books around him. “They’re Dr. Kent’s medical journals, but-” Teddy breaks off, his eyes going wide, whispering, “Joseph- you have to know they were gay, right? Or queer, at least. Dr. Kent makes it very clear how he feels about Oliver.” 

It’s hard not to find Teddy’s enthusiasm infectious. It’s one of the many facets Joseph loves, his pure unadulterated joy in knowledge. “We knew, yeah. It’s...well, my grandfather’s generation, they liked to say that Doc and Mac were ‘really good friends.’ It doesn’t take much to see through that, though. Really good friends who just so happened to live together in the one-bedroom cabin this house was built from, for the rest of their lives? Mac built this room just for Doc. If that’s not love…” 

“So they got together? Dr. Kent just confessed in his journal that Mac _kissed_ him when he came to get treated for a knife wound.” Teddy puts his hand over his heart. “It’s so _romantic.”_

Joseph grins, relaxing against the desk. “It certainly made coming out to my family easier, when the family lore includes a gay love story for the ages.” 

Teddy sighs happily as he sets the book carefully aside and strips off his archival gloves. “We really should preserve these. Scan them, maybe, and offer them for transcript. I’m sure a grad student would love to take them on, write a thesis on gay frontiersmen.” 

“You really got into the story, huh?” Joseph joins Teddy against the bookshelf, leaning over to brush a kiss over his lips. 

“I totally ship it. Their whole lives, huh? I hope they lived a long time together.” 

Joseph takes Teddy’s hand and threads their fingers together. “They did. My great grandpa, he was the second son, so he married a nice girl from Chicago and moved out here with to work with Mac in 1905. He and Mac built the family house, the one where my parents live now, just over the hill. They’d asked great-grandpa here to take over the ranch, since he wouldn’t be inheriting back in Illinois, but I know there was a good long while of overlap. Long enough that my grandpa, who was born on the ranch, could tell me all about Uncle Doc and Uncle Mac.” 

“Think they’d give us their blessing, now that we’re living here?” Teddy blushes, looking down at their joined hands, and Joseph’s heart thumps hard in his chest. 

“Is that what we’re doing here? Living together?” He has to hold his breath as he waits for Teddy to answer. 

“I...was thinking about talking to my department head about a class schedule that would allow me to come back here for weekends, maybe.” Teddy looks shy and anxious, and Joseph knows how much he hates standing out or calling attention to himself with the department head. 

He squeezes Teddy’s hand, and presses a kiss to his forehead. “I’d love any time I can get with you, darlin’. But that’s a long commute.” 

“I have a better car now.” Teddy’s lips twist up, and Joseph can’t help but capture them in a kiss again, lit up inside by his little professor’s joy. 

“My house is your house, my bed is your bed.” 

“Simple as that?” 

Joseph smiles, pushing his way to his feet and hauling Teddy up, too. “Simple as that.” 

Teddy leans into him, his arms wrapping around Joseph’s neck and pulling him down for a sweet kiss. 

When they pull apart, Joseph can’t help but grin and wiggle his eyebrows. “My shower is your shower. What do you say we go get wet?” 

Teddy snorts, shaking his head, but he doesn’t hesitate to start pulling Joseph out of the office and down to the bathroom.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Still workshopping how I'm going to combine stories. I'm thinking... family gives journals to history student to transcribe. History student gets totally caught up in the story and meanwhile doesn't realize he's in his own story himself. 
> 
> In the meantime, I hope you enjoyed a little more Joseph and Teddy, they are cute. :)

**Author's Note:**

> Comments and kudos are always appreciated!
> 
> I'm using this month to kind of get back into writing and kick some original ideas around. Let me know if any of these stories really strike you and you'd read more!


End file.
